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Divination
and Ron Weasley unenthusiastically gaze into a crystal ball in Divination class.]] Divination was a branch of magicHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5, "Divination is one of the most imprecise branches of magic" - Minerva McGonagall that involved attempting to foresee the future, or gather insights into future events, through various rituals and tools. Human divination Witches and wizards who are born with the rare natural gift for prophecy are known as Seers. Non-Seers can learn divination methods, but their success varies. Divination is taught as an elective subject from the third year on at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 Learned wizards and witches seem to regard the practice of divination with scepticism. Hermione Granger once described it as "woolly" and "a lot of guesswork,"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 6 Minerva McGonagall thought it was "one of the most imprecise branches of magic," and before he decided to take on Sybill Trelawney as Divination professor at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore was inclined to scrap the subject altogether.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37 Centaur divination teaching Divination class in 1996.]] Centaurs have a way of practising divination distinct from that of humans, apparently mainly based around observing the movement of planets, moons, and stars, which they had been doing for centuries by 1996.Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 27 It can take up to a decade for centaurs to understand what these celestial portents meant. They may attempt to narrow their prediction of when an event will take place by burning certain herbs, such as sage and mallowsweet, and looking for various shapes and symbols in the fumes. Centaurs seem to have had a low opinion of human methods of divination. Firenze, who taught Divination at Hogwarts, described what "humans call fortune-telling" as "self-flattering nonsense," and voiced the belief that humans obsess over mundane, day-to-day predictions because they are "blinkered and fettered by the limitations of their kind." Known methods *Astrology — observing the movements of planets and stars''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 13 *Bird entrails — unknownHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 *Cartomancy — reading cards, including playing cardsHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 10 and tarot cardsHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 25 *Crystal-gazing — looking into a crystal ballHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 15 *Dream interpretation — analysing the meaning of dreamsHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 12 *Fire-omens — unknown, possibly related to observing flames *Heptomology — unknown, possibly related to the number sevenHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25 *Palmistry — reading the lines on a person's palmHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 12 *Ornithomancy — unknown, possibly related to birds *Ovomancy — cracking open eggs and observing which way the yolks fallPottermore introduction for Ravenclaws (transcription available here) *Tessomancy — reading tea leavesHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)'' *Xylomancy — analyzing pieces of burning wood''Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey'' Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' *''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)'' *''LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4'' *''Pottermore'' Notes and references Category:Divination